Shirt package and method of making the same



Sept. 19, 1950 R. ADAMS SHIRT PACKAGE AND METHOD 0F MAKING THE SAME Filed Sept. 25, 1949 ff/MQ,

lllll Patented Sept. 19, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT? lOFFICE l' THE SAME Ralph Adams, Macon, Ga.

`Application September 23, 1949, Serial No..117,425

13 Claims.

. i y l K ',Ihis'binvention pertains to the packaging of mens sport shirts or similar garments. Since the collarsof sport shirts and the soft collar of 'dress shirts'l have little inherent stiffness, the

dicultiesincident to the packaging of such shirts for delivering to the retail trade are even greater than those commonly encountered in ,thev packaging of dress shirts which have stifily starched collars which, to a` substantial degree, are shapefretaining.

"In packaging shirts for shipment to the trade, it is customary to pack threeshirts to the box. The stiff collar of a dress shirt offers at least some resistance tocrushing, even though if unprovid'ed with a stiffener, but soft collars are badlyerushed and wrinkledif packed without stiffyeners While it has been proposed to pack shirtswith the collars flat, this does not appeal to the retail trade, and has not been widely adopted. e

j'Io'` meet the demands of the retail trade, it is necessary that the shirt, when removed from the shipping container, shallhave the smoothness and unwrinkled, crisp appearance ldistinctive of a new shirt as itleaves the factory laundry; `It must be capable of being handled bythe retailer (for example when placing it in a `display 'case or window) without danger of unfolding, and when so displayed, any temporary stiffeners employed for preserving its shape must be invisible or at least very inconspicuous. "Usually a stiff board or cardboard, or the like, is arranged within the body of the shirt so-` as to impart temporary stiffness and to prevent theshirt from sliding about in the shipping container, and usually this board has an integral tab inits upper edge which is inserted between the front and rear plies of the collar so as to hold `the rear portion, at least, of the collar `in erect position. Usually a, narrow collar stiffener also of` cardboard or like stiff sheet material is disposed between theneckband and cape portionsvof the .collar, this collar stiffener embracing the` neckband portion of the collar and for shirts with soft collars, usuallyl extending forwardly ,at4 each `side `substantially to the 'front opening ofthe shirt.` This collar stiffener imparts a certain degree of resiliency to the folded collar, so` that'` when packed, the collar resists crushing and retains its initial shape.`

. In dress shirts having stiff collars, the neckband andl cape portionsk of the collar are in` close contactand are diicultly separable `due to their stiffness, butin slnirtshmng` sofi; collars the (CIL 20G-46) offer but little resistance to separation. Whena collar stiffener is placedbetween the neckband and cape portions ofthe collar, of a dressshirt it may be depended upon to remain in place due to thevstiffness `of. the collarand needs no fastening means to insure its retention in functional position.` However, it is otherwise lwhen a stiffener is inserted between the neckband and cape portions of a soft collar. Unless the collar stiff-.- ener be positively secured to the shirt it tends to become displaced and thus distort the soft material ofthe collar, or it vmay, even drop out entirely, leaving the side portions of the collar unsupported and free to collapse or wrinkle. A. Io avoid such an occurrence it has` been proposed to pin the forward ends` of the collar stiffener to the shirt front, the pins passing through the cardboard of the stiffener and being so located that they are concealed by thetips of the collar. While pins appear to be necessary for holding some partsof the folded shirt in position during shipment and while` on display, `the purchaser of a new shirt must Search for and remove these hidden p ins before donning the shirt. This has been the cause of `much complaint. For this reason, among others, shirt manufacturers` `have made every effort to devise ways of folding shirts so as to reduce the number of pins employed to a minmum.- Thus the addition of two or more hidden pins to a soft collar shirt (in addition to the usual pins necessary to hold the shirt folded) is contrary to good practice and very undesirable. Moreover, the pinning of this stiff cardboard band to the shirtis difficult and .adds .to the labor cost. Even the cost of these additional pins is an item which must be considered inproduc-y tion cost. e l

'I he principal object `of the present invention is to produceV a, novel shirt package comprising a shirt having a soft collar provided with 'a' temf porary stifener and wherein Vthe stiffener is rmly anchored in place without recourse` to the soft lneckband and cape portions of. the collar 66 use of hidden pins. A further object vis `to provide anovel shirtl package comprising: a soft collar shirt and wherein` the collar'.stiffenerl is 'held vin position yby. a` single temporaryr fastener of a kind whichis readily applied and which;A is easily accessible `for removal, although inconspicuous and in fact substantially unnoticeable when the shirt is `on display.'` A furtherrobject is toprovideanovel l,methcd yof making a shirt package `crznpri`sing`iafsoft collar Vshirt and a collar stiflene'r.. Other and further'objectsand `ad vantages of theinvention vwill be pointed out in the followinggnore detailed `description and by 3 reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of a short having combined therewith a collar stiifening means in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the shirt shown in Fig. 1 to larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic section substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a shirt board used in packaging the shirt;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan View of the collar stiffener;

Fig. 6 is a rear view, to large scale, of a fastener element of a type useful in the practice of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is an edge View of the fastener shown in Fig. 6 as it appears before application to the shirt;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illustrating a Slight modification; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a shirtboard employed 'in the construction shown in Fig. 8.

For convenience in description but without L limitation, the soft-collar shirtv here illustrated by way of example is a conventional sport shirt.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I indicates a sport shirt foldedin conventional manner for shipment. As shown, this shirt comprises the front or bosom portion 2 and the collar 3, the latter being of soft construction, that is to say it is not intended to be starched stiff, and vcomprising the cape portion 4 terminating in the points 5, and the neckband portions 6. Customarily in sport shirts of this type the cape and neckband portions are integral and there is no 'seam or other meansv for u'defining the fold line.

The numeral T designates a shirt board of generallyY conventional type,` customarily made from stiff cardboard andl which is introduced between the front 2 of the shi-rt and the folded under portions of the shirt, this board usually having an integral tab 8 having the fold line 9, this tab 8 'being turned upwardly at right angles to the body of the board and being disposed between the neckband and cape portions of the shirt collar so as to hold thenrear'part of the collar erect.

The numeral I- designates a collar stiffener, usually Aof stiff cardboard and of a width substantially equal to the height of the neckband of the collar and' of a length such that when it is arranged to embrace the neckband its forward ends II 4vreach nearly to the front opening of the shirt. The stiifeher Ill is interposed (Fig. 3) between the upstanding tab 8 of the shirt board and the cape portion 4 of the collar.

As above noted, the soft collar of the sport shirt is so pliable that it exerts little confining action upon the stiffener I interposed between the neckband andcape portions of the collar so that unless some means be providedV for retaining the stiffener, the latter will slip down and even escape entirely from the collar and no longer affords a proper support for holding the fold line of the collarsmooth and unwrinkled and'no longer 'supports the side portions of thercollar upright when placed in the shipping box. `In accordance with the present invention the stiffener I0 is temporarily secured to the shirt by means' of a simple fastener or clip I2. The `clip here illustrated is of the type commonly used for fastening papers together and knownv to the trade as an O-K fastener. However it is to be `understood that equivalent fastening means `ofrspeciii'c'ally different construction may be employed within the scope ofthe invention. The clip I2, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, consists of a length of sheet metal, for example brass, bent approximately to U-shape so as to provide the legs I3 and I4 united at the bend I5. The leg I4 has a sharp pointed prong I6 struck out from its substance and the leg I3 has an opening I'I designed to receive the point of the prong I6 when the fastener is in operative position.

In using such a fastener for securing the stiffener I0 in place, the leg I4 of the fastener will be slipped up between the tab 8 and the stiiener I0, as shown in Fig. 3, until the lower registering edges of the stifiener I0 and the cape portions 4 of the collar are received within the bend I5 of the fastener. The other leg I3 of the fastener is disposed at the outside of the cape portion 4 of the collar. Pressure is now applied so as to bring the legs I3 and I4 into substantially parallel relation; in thus kbending the fastener the prong I6 is projected rearwardly through the stiifener I0 and usually so that its point enters, to some extent, intol the material of th'e'capel por'- tion 4 of the collar. Depending upon the thickness of the stiifener and collar material and the length of the prong I6 the penetration of the collar material by the prong will vary all the way from no substantial penetration to a penetration such that the point of the 'prong reaches into the opening I7 in the leg I3 of the fastener. Since the fastener is of a material which is quite stili and retains the shape imparted by bending it, it provides a substantial clamping action, even though the prong I 6 may not enter substantially into the material of the collar, and thus grips and anchors the stiffener in position so that it cannot slip out from between the neckband and cape portions of the collar. A single fastener of this type applied substantially at the center of the rear of the collar is found amply suiiicient to retain the stiffener in proper functional position. Although the rear leg I3 of the fastener is visible when the collar is observed from the viewpoint of Fig. 2, it is really inconspicuous, and almost Wholly invisible when the collar is seen as it lies in the shipping container or as usually displayed in a window lying flat or inclinedl downwardly andv forwardly toward the front of the window. On the other hand, the fastener is readily accessible and 'easily discover'able by a person who wishes to remove the stifferierl from the shirt, sincethe le'g I3 of the fastener is not actually concealed. I

This fastener is very readily removable merely by slipping the thumbnail between the upper edge of the leg I3 and bending the leg rearwardly, thus spreading the legs I3' and I4 and disengaging the collar material from the prong IB whereupon the stiiener together with the fastener may be withdrawn and'dis'c'arded. yThis operation of removing the fastener is In'uo'h simpler than that of searching for and removing 'a plurality of hidden pins; on the other hand its application to the shirt byv the shirt manufacturer involves much less trouble and expense than does the use of the'pins customarily employed. The penetration of the cape portion of the collar bythe prong I6 is not such. las to cause any darnageY to the collar material. l

A slight modification is suggested in Figs. 8 and'9. The shirt board I'havs the collar positioning tab 8', as above described, but at the' junction of the tab 8' and the board proper there' provided a slot I8. In assembling'the parts '(Fig. 85

the leg l of the fastener I2 is passed up through this slot'I 8 so that it lies forwardly of the tabB when the latter is disposed within the collar.

i The leg I3 of the fastener lies to the rear of the cape portion of the collar in the same way as above described. When the legs I3 and I4 are pressed together the prong I6 of the fastener passes through the substance of the tab 8' and then through the stiffener I0 and to a greater or lesser distance into the cape portion of the collar.

the stiffener and theother leg in contact with `the rear-,face of the'cape portion of thecollar,

With this arrangement the stiffener is anchored both to the shirt board and to the cape portion of the collar. This anchorage of the parts assists in holding the collar in the desired upright position, and by uniting the parts 8 and I0, affords greater stiffness at the back of the collar than results when the tab 8 and stiffener I0 are wholly p cations falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A shirt package comprising a soft-collar shirt having a collar which includes neckband and' cape portions, a, stiffener disposed between the neckband and cape portions of the collar, and a single removable fastener element temporarily uniting the stiifener directly to the cape portion of the collar.

2. A shirt package comprising a sport shirt having a collar including soft neckband and cape portions, a stiiener of sheet material interposed between the neckband and cape portions of the collar, and a single removable clamping device uniting the collar stiffener to the cape portion of the collar, said fastener being located at the rear of the collar.

3. A shirt package comprising a soft-collar shirt having a collar including soft neckband and cape portions, a stiffener of sheet material interposed between the neckband and cape portions of the collar, and a removable clip of sheet metal comprising opposed jaws between which portions, a stiffener of sheet material interposed between the neckband and cape portions of the collar, and a removable fastener having a penetrating prong which passes through the stiffener and into the cape portion of the collar, said fastener being located at the rear of the collar.

5. A shirt package comprising a soft-collar shirt having a collar including soft neckband and cape portions, a stiffener of sheet material interposed between the neckband and cape portions of the collar, the lower edge of said band being registered with the lower edge of the cape portion of the collar, and a removable clamping` element of U-shape having one leg in contact with thev front face of the stiifener and the other leg in contact with the rear face of the cape por'- tion of the collar.

6. A shirt package comprising a soft-collar shirt having a collar including soft neckband and cape portions, a stifener of sheet material interposed between the neckband and cape portions of the collar, and a removable anchoring element of U-shape having one leg interposed between the neckband portion of the collar and and a penetrating prong projecting rearwardly from 'the first-named leg of the anchoring element and into thestiffenerl '7.' A 'shirt package comprising a soft-collar shirt having a collar including soft neckband and cape portions, 'a stiffener of sheet material interposed between the neckband and cape por'- tions of the collar, and an O-K fastener having the lower edges of the stiffener and cape portion of the collar disposed within its bend, the prongcarrying leg of the fastener being interposed betweenl the neckband portion of the collar and the stiffener'with the prong projecting rearwardly through the stiiener and into the cape portion ofthe collar, the other leg of the fastener being visible at the rear side of the cape portion of the zcollar.

8. A shirt package comprising a folded softcollar shirt having a collar which includes neckband and cape portions, a shirt board of stiff sheet material disposed within the folded shirt, said board comprising a tab which is interposed between the neckband and `cape portions of the collar at the rear of the latter, a stiiener disposed between the neckband and cape portions of the lcollar and which embraces the neckband, said stiffener, at the rear of the collar, being disposed between the tab and the cape portion of the collar, and a single removable fastener 1ocated at the rear of the collar and which temporarily unites the tab, stiffener and cape portions of the collar.

9. A shirt package comprising a folded softcollar shirt having a collar which includes a neckband and @cape portions, a shirt board of stiff sheet material disposed within the folded shirt, said board comprising a tab which is interposed between the neckband and cape portions of the collar at the rear of the latter, a stiffener disposed between the neckband and cape portions of the collar and which embraces the neckband, said stiffener, fat the rear of the collar, being disposed between the tab and the cape portion of the collar, the shirt board having a slot adjacent to the junction of the tab and board proper, and a removable U-shaped fastener, one leg of which is disposed between the tab and the neckband portion of the collar, and the other leg of `which is disposed at the rear side of the cape portion of the collar with the bend of the fastener embracing the edge of the slot in the shirt board, the lower edge of the fastener and the lower edge of the cape portion of the collar, said fastener having a penetrating prong which projects rearwardly through the tab and stiffener and into the cape portion of the collar, thereby to anchor the tab, stiffener` and cape portion together.

l0. That method of packaging soft-collar shirts for shipment which comprises providing a, collar stiffener of sheet 'material designed to embrace the neckband portion of the collar and to extend around the sides substantially to the front opening of the shirt, introducing said stiffener between the neckband and cape portions of the collar, and temporarily attaching the stiffener to the cape portion of the collar at a single point at therear of the collar.

11. That method of packaging sport shirts for shipment which comprises providing a collar stiffener of sheet material designed to embrace the neckband portion of the collar and to eX- tend along the sides of the neckband substan- T7 tially toV theflfrontopening of fthe shirt, 'introducing saidvstiffener between the neckband. and cape portions of thecllar, andy olampingthe stiffener to the cape,portion.ofthe collar at the rear of the collarfby means of a single removable fastener.

12. That method of packaging .soft-collar shirts for shipment which comprisesfproviding Va collar stiffener of sheet..materia1 designed to embrace the neckband portion of.thecol1ar,.in troducing said stiener between 'the neckband and cape portions of the collar, providing-aU- bend clamping element, .intrcducingthe' lower edges-of thelstiiener and cape portionof -the collar into the bend-of thefclamping element,

-and selosing thelegs'ofthe 'clampingfelement Vthereby y temporarily tok anchor the stifener -to .thecape portion of the collar.

I 13. .That methodofpackaging sport shirts for .shipment .which comprises providing y.a collar .stiffener of -sheet material designed to embrace Y the neckband portion `of the-collarand to extend substantiallyto they front opening ofthe shirt, introducing saidstifener between the neckband .and cape portions of the collar, and projectinga 0.A

penetrating fastener element rearwardly Ythrough the stiener .and into the .cape portion of .the

collar .thereby to vv.anchorthe stiiener to the collar.

.. IIR/ALP vI-I ADAMS.

' No references. cited. 

